Man Charged With Assault

WEST PALM BEACH -- A man released from jail last month was charged Sunday with kidnapping and assaulting the same 17-year-old girl he was charged with shooting in December, police said.

Leon Hart, 39, also known as Thomas Edmonds, was arrested at his home in the 1900 block of Merry Place at 11 p.m., said Capt. James Diggs. Police were called after the victim escaped and ran from the house naked, Diggs said.

According to Diggs, Hart was arrested in December and charged with shooting the same girl three times in the arms and back at the corner of Third Street and Sapodilla Avenue. He was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on bail on May 19.

On Sunday, he abducted the girl at gunpoint from the corner of Fourth Street and Rosemary Avenue, Diggs said. Back at his apartment, Hart stripped the girl, tied her up, sexually assaulted her, and beat her with a hammer.

The girl escaped after Hart fell asleep, Diggs said.

The victim was admitted to Good Samaritan Hospital where she was being kept for observation, Diggs said.

Hart was charged with kidnapping, aggravated battery and sexual battery, and booked into the county jail to await a court hearing, Diggs said.